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Cover Page
(Front)
Cover Page
(Front-Back)
1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Food for Thought: - Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.) 02
2 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered 03
3 A Glance at the Life of the Holy Prophet (S) 04
4 Martyrdom of Imam Hasan Askari (A.S.) 22
5 Contribution of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (A.S.) To Science &
Philosophy 30
6 Relationship of Science and Faith 46
7 Who Was the Imam after Hasan `Askari? 56
8 Allergy 62
Kids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ Corner
9 Celebrating Eid Milad un Nabi (S.A.W.W.) & Wiladat of Imam
Jafar al-Sadiq (A.S.) 63
THE MESSAGE
Editor: Hujjat-ul-Islam Wal Muslimeen Sheikh Shabbir H. Lakhani (Maisami)
Editorial Board: Mr. Mazher Ali Jumani, Molana Sajjad Qaimi, Dr. Hussain Kanani,
Mr. Hasnain Nanjiani, Dr. Sana Muhammad Sadiq.
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Disclaimer: The Editor does not necessarily agree with the views expressed in the matter published herein. The views and opinions presented in the Journal reflect the views of the authors
and not of the Journal or its Editorial Board or the Publisher.
Published by
Zahra (S.A.) Academy Institute of Islamic Education, Development & Relief
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
2
1. Whoever is good to his
parents, his child will be
good to him.
2. Self-sacrifice is a trait of the
virtuous and a quality of
the righteous.
3. No shield is more protec-
tive than the appointed
time of death.
4. One who is certain about
the everlasting is
uninterested in that which
perishes.
5. The one who assists [you]
in obeying [Allah] is the
best companion.
6. Indeed you are more in
need of acquiring good eti-
quette than you are of ac-
quiring silver and gold.
7. One who prevents himself
from harming [others] will
not be opposed [or hated]
by anyone.
8. One who restricts his eating,
his health improves and his
thoughts become righteous.
9. Allah, the Glorified, has not
created you in vain, and has
not abandoned you to
wander aimlessly, and He
has not left you alone in
misguidance and blindness.
10. Submit yourselves to good
and enjoin it; keep away
from evil and forbid it.
11. Verily I deem myself higher
than that I should forbid
people from that which I do
not forbid myself, or enjoin
them towards that which I
have not preceded them in
performing, or that I should
be pleased with their ac-
tions which my Lord is not
pleased with.
12. Reduce [your] hopes, for
verily life is short; and per-
form good actions, for veri-
ly little of it is plenty.
13. A leader needs a wise mind,
an eloquent tongue and a
heart that is steadfast in the
establishment of truth.
�����
FOOD FOR THOUGHT Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.)
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
3
Q.1: Is it permissible to
consume food/medicine
(e.g. softgel capsules) that
contains gelatin?
Ans.: If you do not know
whether the gelatin in the
food comes from an animal or
from vegetable, you can eat
it. However, if it is known that
it was derived from an animal,
then it is not permissible to
eat without ascertaining that
the animal was slaughtered
according to shari’ah.
Q.2: Is it permissible to
eat lobster, in all its
varieties, by following the
pattern of shrimp?
Ans.: It is not permissible to
eat lobster.
Q.3: I want to pay my
religious dues, who should
I pay them to?
Ans.: Religious dues can be
given to anyone who is
authorized to collect and who
should be holding an authori-
zation document from Hakim
e Sharah.
Q.4: Who is a Kasir al-
Safar (frequent traveler)?
Ans.: One who travels for ten
days in a month and sixty
days in six months, he is
considered a frequent travel-
er. Therefore, he should offer
complete prayers and observe
fast.
Q.5: The earth is one of
the purifying agents.
Following the example of
a shoe's sole that can be
purified by walking on the
earth, would the same
rule apply to car tires?
Ans.: The earth cannot purify
the tires.
Q.6: What is the quantity
of the maintenance which
a husband should provide
his wife with?
Ans.: The amount of mainte-
nance, from the point of
clothing, food and shelter,
must be in accordance with
the wife's social status.
�����
Your Daily-Life Questions Answered
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
4
Among all the Prophets, the
Holy Prophet (S) is the only
Prophet about whose life even
ordinary matters have been
recorded in history and this is
a great accomplishment of the
Muslim nation because the
biographical sketches of other
Prophets have been written
after a lapse of considerable
time with alterations and
incorrect accounts by some of
their followers. However on
the life and attributes of the
Holy Prophets many books
were written in Arabic lan-
guage some details of which
have been mentioned in our
discussions on the signs of the
Prophets. Thus it seems
pertinent to give a brief
account of the conduct and
character of our Holy Prophet.
It would be profitable for all
the Muslims to know the
details of the Prophet's
character, morals, and private
life. Whatever is written in the
following pages has been
derived from Biharul Anwar,
vol. 16; Sirah-i Ibn Hisham,
Kuhlul Basar, Tafsir al-Mizan,
vol. 6 and other authentic
books.
His Compassion and
Sympathy:
Before the advent of Islam, it
so happened that people were
worried about the appalling
conditions of famine. Abu
Talib, the uncle of the Holy
Prophet was also equally
perturbed because he had a
large family to support and his
resources were limited. The
Holy Prophet decided with his
uncle Abbas to go to Abu
Talib and in order to lessen
the burden of his daily ex-
penses, each one of them
should take one son of Abu
Talib. Thus Abbas took Ja'far
and the Holy Prophet brought
Imam Ali to his house and
became his guardian from his
very childhood. This was one
example of the compassionate
nature of the Prophet of
Islam.
A Glance at the Life of the Holy Prophet (S)
By: Ayatollah Mohsin Qara'ati
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
5
His Morals:
The Holy Prophet used to
sleep on the floor on a simple
mat. He cobbled his shoes
and patched his clothes
himself. He smiled away any
disgraceful remark. He would
go to buy things for himself.
Anas bin Malik says, "For
years I was in the service of
the Holy Prophet but never
even for once did he repri-
mand me on my fault. The
Holy Prophet milked the she-
goat himself, greeted the
children first and accepted the
invitation of his slaves. He
would never make a disparag-
ing remark about the food
which was not of his liking. He
was particular about cleansing
his teeth with Miswak, apply-
ing perfume and taking bath
on Fridays. While going out of
the house he put on white
dress. While taking his food,
he would never lean upon
anything so that there might
not be any sign of pride when
he was sitting before Allah's
bounties.
His Family Life:
Despite the fact that most of
the wives of the Holy Prophet
were of advanced age,
mothers of orphaned children,
and were of varying nature
and disposition, he treated
them nicely. Though some of
his wives treated him so badly
that his companions used to
advise him to leave them for
the good. But he used to say
that the shortcomings of a
woman should be weighed
with some of her good
qualities also. One should not
divorce one's wife on her
minor fault or slight unpleas-
ant behavior because women
possess some good qualities
and noble attributes also.
The Holy Prophet said:
"Anyone who is affluent with
regard to wealth and property
but still remains stingy with
his wife and children, is not
amongst us". (Mustadrak, vol.
2, p. 643)
After the passing away of his
beloved wife, Lady Khadija
the Holy Prophet treated all
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
6
those ladies who were her
intimate friends with high
esteem and favour.
The Holy Prophet used to say:
"I treat my family members
better than anyone else".
(Wasa'il, vol. 14, p. 122)
The Holy Prophet observed
justice with his wives so
strictly that even during his
serious illness his bed was
made each night by regular
turns in every wife's chamber.
His Feelings for the New-
born:
A newborn baby was brought
to the Holy Prophet for
blessings or for giving him a
name. The new-born passed
urine in the lap of the Holy
Prophet and the parents as
well as the people standing
around became very much
embarrassed. At this the Holy
Prophet said: "Don't mind.
The little one is getting
frightened of your making a
noise. I shall have my clothes
washed". (Kuhlul Basar)
His Initiative in Greeting
the Children:
The Holy Prophet used to call
the name of the boys and
girls with respect. He gave
special instructions about
respecting the girls. In his
code of conduct the injunction
for giving respect to the
females is present. This is the
view of the Holy Prophet. But
once when on the birth of a
female child the father of the
child became so furious that
his face turned black. Under
such ghastly condition of the
society, respect for the sons
and daughters particularly of
the daughter was a conspicu-
ous thing. The Holy Prophet
said: "The best of your
offsprings are the daughters,
and the sign of a woman's
auspiciousness is that her first-
born is a daughter". (Mus-
tadrak, vol. 2, p. 614-615)
A companion of the Holy
Prophet was sitting with him.
When he heard the news of
the birth of his daughter he
became displeased. The Holy
Prophet then said to him:
"When earth is her abode, the
sky is her shelter and her
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
7
livelihood is secure with Allah,
why have you become so
unhappy? She is like a flower
spreading its fragrance and
she will stand you in good
stead". (Wasa'il, vol. 15, p.
101)
A man told Holy Prophet that
he had never kissed his child.
The Holy Prophet said: "This
is the sign of your cold
bloodedness".
In the matter of giving equal
treatment to all the children,
the Holy Prophet said: "If you
kiss a child before another,
you should kiss the other one
also".
He Was Not an Opportun-
ist:
One of the sons of the Holy
Prophet was Ibrahim who
expired early in his infancy.
When after his death there
happened to be a solar
eclipse, people thought it was
as a consequence of the
demise of the son of the Holy
Prophet. At this the Holy
Prophet assembled the people
and said: "The occultation of
the sun was not due to the
sad demise of my son,
Ibrahim". Thus the Holy
Prophet got the people saved
from falling into ignorance,
superstition and undue love.
On such an occasion if there
had been a politician in place
of the Holy Prophet he would
have given a wrong interpreta-
tion of this incident and would
have aroused the people to
maintain undue love.
He Was Always on the
Lead:
In the Battle of Ahzab all the
enemies of Islam, including
the infidels, idolaters and
hypocrites decided to wipe
out Islam altogether and for
this purpose they prepared to
make a heavy attack on
Madina. The Holy Prophet
decided to fight against the
enemies and with the consul-
tation of his companions it
was decided that a trench
might be dug around the city
of Madina as a first measure
of defence. On this occasion
the Holy Prophet took the
lead in digging the trench and
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
8
he engaged himself in this
task until the trench was
ready while some of the
Muslims had taken leave and
some others had gone away
without taking permission.
His Hospitality:
Salman Farsi, the loyal
companion of the Holy
Prophet said: "I happened to
visit the Holy Prophet at his
house. He offered me the
same pillow which was the
only one in his own use".
Such a treatment of his
visitors was not particularly
shown to Salman Farsi but it
was for every Muslim.
One day each of the foster
brothers and sisters of the
Holy Prophet separately came
to the Holy Prophet. He
treated the sister with greater
respect than the brothers.
When the people inquired
about this distinction, the Holy
Prophet replied: "As this sister
used to respect her parents, I
have greater regard and love
for her". (Biharul Anwar, vol.
16, p. 281)
Sometimes the guests of the
Holy Prophet overstayed their
welcome even after finishing
with their meals and got
themselves busy in conversa-
tion but still he tolerated it. At
last a Qur'anic verse was
revealed saying: If you are
invited, you may enter, but be
punctual (so that you will not
be waiting while the meal is
being prepared). When you
have finished eating, leave his
home, and do not sit around
chatting among yourselves.
This will annoy the Prophet
and he will feel embarrassed
to tell you. (Surah Ahzab, 53)
His Extreme Dedication:
The Holy Prophet used to
wake up from his sleep after
midnight. After prostrating
himself before Allah, brushing
his teeth with Miswak, and
reciting a few verses of the
Holy Qur'an, he got himself
busy with the worship of
Allah. Some of his wives used
to say to him: "You are
innocent and infallible and yet
you do a lot of imploration!"
The Holy Prophet would
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
9
answer them by saying:
"Should I not try to be a
grateful servant of Allah".
During the month of Rama-
dan, the Holy Prophet used to
free his slaves. While offering
prayers he trembled with fear.
When he offered his prayers
alone he prolonged his
bowing and prostration but in
congregation he shortened
them.
His Insight and Sagacity:
While solving any problem,
the Holy Prophet used to
apply his foresight, and sense
of justice.
When the different tribes of
Arabia rebuilt the Holy Ka'ba,
the dispute arose as to which
tribe should install the sacred
Black Stone (Hajar ul aswad)
at its original place. This
dispute was going to create
an ugly situation. A man
suggested that whoever came
to the Masjidul Haram first of
all in the early morning should
be made to arbitrate between
them. The following morning
the Holy Prophet was the first
to come to the Holy Ka'ba and
hence he was accepted as an
arbiter in this dispute. The
Holy Prophet then ordered
them to bring a sheet of cloth.
When the cloth was brought
he placed the sacred Black
Stone in the middle of the
sheet of cloth and asked
every chief of the tribes to lift
it from each corner and carry
it near the Holy Ka'ba. There-
after, the Holy Prophet picked
up the sacred Black Stone and
placed it at its original place.
It was because of the Holy
Prophet's insight as well as
the sense of justice that the
dispute was settled amicably.
The Holy Prophet in the
Battlefield:
Imam Ali says: "The Holy
Prophet used to be always on
the forefront in the battlefield
to face the enemy. And in the
Battle of Trench when it was
decided to dig a trench
around the city of Madina, the
Holy Prophet was the first to
pick up the pickaxe for
digging the earth and he
continued digging the trench
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
10
along with his followers until
the trench was completely
ready". The Holy Imam
further says: "In the battle-
fields whenever we Muslims
were faced with some difficul-
ty, we took shelter of the Holy
Prophet and sought his help
and protection".
His Decisiveness:
The Holy Prophet was never
prepared to ignore his ideo-
logical program or any of its
principles for the sake of
increasing the number of his
followers. Some people from
Ta'if came to the Holy Prophet
and said: "We can profess
Islam provided that you give
us permission for idol-worship
and exempt us from offering
prayers".
The Holy Prophet rejected
their conditions straightaway.
He did not care to increase
the numerical strength of his
followers at the cost of the
fundamental principles of
Islam. The Holy Prophet was
not like those who would
compromise on principles.
His Piety and Devotion:
Once the Holy Prophet gave
twelve Dirhams to Imam Ali to
buy a dress for him (the
Prophet). The Holy Imam
went to the bazaar and
brought a dress costing the
same amount of money. The
Holy Prophet seeing the dress
said: "If the dress had been
more simple, it would have
been better. If the shopkeep-
er agrees to take back the
dress, return it to him". The
Holy Imam returned the dress
and brought back twelve
dirhams to the Holy Prophet.
This time the Holy Prophet
went along with Imam Ali to
the bazaar. On the way he
saw a slave-girl who was
crying. The Holy Prophet
asked her the cause of her
trouble. She said: "My master
gave me four dirhams to buy
things from the bazaar but I
lost that amount of money. I
am afraid of going back home
because of my master". The
Holy Prophet gave that girl
four dirhams and bought a
dress for himself for four
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
11
dirhams. On his way back
home he saw a man who was
without proper clothes. The
Holy Prophet gave his dress to
this man and came back to
the bazaar to buy another
dress for the remaining four
dirhams left with him. On his
way back again the Holy
Prophet saw the same slave-
girl still standing there. She
lamented that since she was
already late for home she was
scared of her master who
would beat her for this. The
Holy Prophet accompanied the
slave-girl to her master's
house. In deference to the
Holy Prophet's coming to his
house the master not only
excused the slave-girl but also
freed her. The Holy Prophet
then said: "Those twelve
dirhams were so auspicious
that they enabled two needy
ones to clothe themselves and
a slave-girl to become free".
(Biharul Anwar, v. 16. p. 215)
Indeed if we care to cut down
our personal expenditure we
can help the needy to procure
some of their basic needs.
The Holy Prophet owed a few
dirhams to a Jew. One day he
came to the Holy Prophet and
demanded his money but the
Holy Prophet had no money
with him to pay off his debt.
The Jew said: "I will not leave
this place until you give me my
money back". He stayed there
till it was the Zohr time. People
offered their Zohr prayers.
Then the time for evening,
dusk and night prayers came
and the Jew was still there to
pester the Holy Prophet. At
last the people became
annoyed. But the Holy Prophet
said: "We are not supposed to
be unjust to him". Conse-
quently the Jew who shad-
owed the Holy Prophet until
the following day embraced
Islam, and distributed his
money in charity in the name
of Allah. He said: 'I was not
actually meaning to harm the
Holy Prophet, for my intention
was to test the Holy Prophet's
high qualities of character".
His Loyalty:
Ammar Yasir, one of the
celebrated companions of the
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
12
Holy Prophet narrates:
"Before the announcement of
the Prophethood of the Holy
Prophet, he and I together
used to tend the cattle. One
day I suggested to the Holy
Prophet that a certain place
was most suited for tending
our cattle and we should go
over to that pasture. The Holy
Prophet agreed. On the
following day I found that the
Holy Prophet had already
reached there but he was
holding his sheep off and was
not allowing them to graze.
On my asking the reason for
this the Holy Prophet said:
"There was an agreement
between us that both of us
together would graze our
sheep and thus it was not
proper on my part to graze
my sheep without you doing
the same at the same time".
His Method of Teaching:
While teaching the people
Islamic faith and moral
conduct or answering ques-
tions, the Holy Prophet used
to repeat his instructions
three times so as to drive the
idea home.
His Sheltering the Enemy:
In the eight year of the
migration, when the Holy
Prophet left Madina at the
head of an army and con-
quered Makkah, he entered
the Holy Ka'ba and smashed
up all the idols in it. Safwan,
one of the chiefs of the
idolaters, who belonged to the
tribe of Umayya fled away to
Jeddah which was at a
distance of a few miles from
Makkah. Some people inter-
ceded with the Holy Prophet
for his pardon. The Holy
Prophet then sent his head-
gear to him so that he should
be under protection while
entering Makkah. Safwan
returned from Jeddah and
asked for a grace time of two
months until he could think of
embracing Islam. But the Holy
Prophet gave him the grace
period of four months instead
of two months. Safwan
remained with the Holy
Prophet on his many travels
and after finding himself
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
13
enchanted by the personality
of the Holy Prophet and move
by the powerful force of his
preachings, voluntarily pro-
fessed Islam as his religion.
The Holy Qur'an says:
If the pagans ask you to give
them refuge, give them
asylum so that they may hear
the words of Allah. Then let
them return to their towns for
they are ignorant people.
(Surah at-Taubah, 9:6)
According to Islamic jurispru-
dence in Jihad the giving of
shelter and asylum to infidels
have been stressed.
His Behavior with the
Enemies:
On the occasion of the
conquest of Makkah, the Holy
Prophet pardoned even his
blood-thirsty enemies and not
only that he even pardoned
the unbelieving woman who
had conspired to kill him by
cooking for him a poisoned
meal.
Once an enemy of Islam
happened to come to the Holy
Prophet and instead of
greeting him with the cele-
brated Islamic Greeting
"Assalam u Alayka" (Peace be
on you) he said "Assamu
Alayka" (Death be on you)
and insolently repeated these
words several times, but
despite possessing the means
for revenge, the Holy Prophet
replied back by saying "Wa
Alayka" (Same be to you).
Some of those who were
present there became very
furious at the insolent behav-
ior of the enemy. They said to
the Holy Prophet: "Why did
you not retaliate upon your
enemy?" The Holy Prophet
replied: "I reciprocated his
greeting in his own words that
is, "The same on you" which
he had wished for me".
Affectionate Treatment of
His Friends:
While on a journey people
used to divide work among
themselves and the Holy
Prophet, too, had his work to
do himself. He used to collect
the firewood for cooking food.
Despite his worthy compan-
ions desire not to let him
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
14
work, the Holy Prophet would
not agree to it. Once when
the Holy Prophet alighted
from the camel's back and
went to tether the animal to a
tree, some companions
rushed forward to do that
little job but the Holy Prophet
did not accept the help of the
companions and instead said"
"You too should not throw
yourself upon the help of
other".
Some Special Traits of the
Holy Prophet
* The Holy Prophet readily
accepted the invitation of the
slaves and he considered it
necessary to hold them in
high regard like other nota-
bles of the tribes. However he
would entrust their leadership
to those who were held in
respect by them.
* The Holy Prophet was not
mindless of good or bad
behavior. He used to encour-
age as well as admonish
people as the occasion
demanded. He was always
much concerned about the
proper guidance of the
people. In this context the
following Qur’anic verse was
revealed to him:
We have not revealed the
Qur'an on you that you should
be burdened, but as admoni-
tion for whom who fear. (Sura
Ta Ha, 20:2)
* In a gathering the Holy
Prophet gave so much indi-
vidual attention to each other
and every person that he
thought that he was the only
favorite of the Holy Prophet.
* Sometimes the companions
suggested to the Holy Prophet
to curse the enemies but he
never agreed and instead
prayed to Allah to show them
guidance.
* Whenever he shook hands
with somebody he would not
withdraw until the other
person withdrew his hand
first.
* Whenever he went on riding
he never allowed anybody to
follow him on foot and instead
he asked the people to go
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
15
separately until he met them
on the appointed place.
The Holy Prophet never
disappointed a beggar. A
woman sent his son to the
Holy Prophet and asked for
his dress. When the son came
to the Holy Prophet he gave
him his dress.
* Whenever he happened to
attend a gathering he always
seated himself at a lower
place. He would readily accept
a present howsoever humble
it was.
* Whenever he found any
Muslim or a companion
missing in a meeting, he would
immediately inquire after him.
If he happened to be on a
journey, he would pray for his
safe return and if he happened
to be sick he would pray for
his speedy recovery.
* He would ask the people to
sit in a circular seating ar-
rangement so as not to give
any distinction to anyone over
the other.
* In matters of enforcing
laws, he never showed special
favour to anybody. Once one
of his companions interceded
with him for a woman of a
famous tribe to excuse her
punishment, at this the Holy
Prophet said: "By Allah! I am
not the one to relax the
punishment ordained by
Divine commandment in
favour of anybody. If my own
daughter Fatima had commit-
ted a theft, I would have not
spared her even from the
punishment".
* The Holy Prophet paid
particular attention to the
captives and the slaves and
he himself married a captive
woman and thus by this
action of his the Muslims
started showing regard to the
captives and they freed many
of them. The Holy Prophet
asked the people to be kind to
the captives and to feed them
and clothe them like them-
selves and to call them by
their names so as not to give
them a feeling of inferiority.
* The Holy Prophet treated
the poor and the rich alike
and during the conversation
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
16
he never allowed irrelevant or
controversial things to be
discussed, besides he never
found fault with anybody nor
did he indulge in laughter.
His Concern of the Com-
mon Man:
Unlike those leaders who fled
away from the scene of
trouble and hardship or those
who left their friends in the
lurch and migrated from their
town or country, the Holy
Prophet stayed in Makkah all
the time and instead sent his
followers to migrate to
Abyssinia (Ethiopia). While
migrating to Madina, the Holy
Prophet first sent a batch of
the loyal followers to Madina.
His Consulting the People:
In all those matters where
there was no special com-
mand from Allah and they
were left to the people's
discretion, the Holy Prophet
very often used to consult
them before taking any
decision. As for example on
the occasion of the Battle of
Uhud, the Holy Prophet set up
an advisory council and
consulted the people as to
whether the believers should
fight the battle outside Madina
or they should remain within
the city of Madina. The Holy
Prophet himself and a few of
his companions were of the
opinion that the battle should
be fought in Madina and
accordingly defense should be
built up there, but most of the
young people gave their
opinion for fighting the battle
outside Madina. Here we see
that the Holy Prophet gave
preference to the opinion of
young and zealous fighters
over that of others including
his own, and as such they all
marched forward towards
Uhud to face the enemy.
What is more interesting is
that the verse 159 of Surah
Ale Imran was revealed after
the set-back of the Muslims in
the Battle of Uhud. (Tafsir-i
Namuna, vol. 3, p. 142)
The above-mentioned verse
was revealed despite the fact
that after accepting the
opinion of the companions,
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
17
Muslims had to suffer defeat.
Allah says in the same verse
as follows:
Forgive them and ask Allah to
forgive (their sins) and consult
with them in certain matters.
But when you reach a deci-
sion trust Allah. Allah loves
those who trust Him. (Surah
Ale Imran, 3:159)
An Apology to the Holy
Prophet:
While writing on the merits of
the Holy Prophet I am feeling
helpless because of my limited
knowledge. As a matter of
fact an appreciation on the life
and attributes of the Holy
Prophet can only be under-
taken by a person of the
caliber of Imam Ali as it is the
Holy Prophet whose praise
has been done by Allah
Himself, whom Allah takes
him through the heavens and
by whose auspicious presence
the angels' abode becomes
blessed.
It is the Holy Prophet whom
the Divine carrier takes away
from the Holy Masjid (the
Ka'ba) in Makkah to Baytul
Muqaddas.
On the one hand these
exalted destinations are the
proof of the exalted personali-
ty of the Holy Prophet. On the
other hand we find his attrib-
utes and personal qualities of
love and affection and refined
thoughts and sympathetic
behavior towards all. "Once a
thirsty cat keeps an eye on
the water container meant for
the Prophet's ablution. The
Holy Prophet instead of using
that water for ablution places
it before the cat. The Holy
Prophet is harder than the
rock against the enemies and
is softer than snow toward his
friends. He foregoes his
personal rights against his
enemies also but in the
implementation of the laws he
is very strict, so much so that
he swears that he would not
forgive even his own daugh-
ter, if she ever committed any
wrong".
How dare we talk about the
attributes of the Holy Proph-
et? We read in Nahjul
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
18
Balaghah that when nobody
could read or write, the Holy
Prophet stressed the acquiring
of knowledge by saying that it
was obligatory for all the
Muslims. Now after the
passage of fourteen centuries
we see that everybody is
clamouring for acquiring
knowledge.
What can I write about the
highly exalted attributes of
the Holy Prophet whose birth
extinguished the leaping
flames of the Fireplace of
Persia, and whose being
installed as Prophet removed
all disturbances and chaotic
conditions from the land.
When he was born, the
foundation of the palace of
Kisra, the ancient monarchs of
Persia (Iran), were shaken.
When he was assigned to
Prophethood the entire
humanity got wonder-struck.
It was he, whom the Holy
Qur'an declared the "Mercy
for the whole Universe". Who
can write and how can we
write about such a unique
personality?
What can I say about him,
who reaches such a lofty
place of honour that he
becomes the guest of Allah on
the night of Ma'raj (ascen-
sion); and yet who, in his
humbleness, declares that he
would not turn down the
invitation of a slave and would
travel a far off distance in
order to share a simple food
with him?
For his journey to the heav-
ens, Buraq, a Divine carrier,
was provided to him, while at
his own, he never hesitated to
ride on a mule. The Archangel
Jibra'il who brings the Divine
revelation to him conveyes
him the greetings of Allah,
and he himself is so humble in
disposition that he first greets
the children.
In the state of prostrating
himself before Allah he
submits his forehead and
heart before Allah and when
his two grandsons (Imam
Hasan and Imam Husayn) find
him under that position and
ride on his back, he prolongs
his prostration so that their
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
19
feeling might not be hurt.
How to speak of him, who at
one and the same time is
dedicated to the worship and
remembrance of Allah and is
also mindful of the feelings of
the two children! The people
should take lesson from this in
the matter of upholding the
rights of children, men,
women and the labourers and
they should be ashamed of
raising empty slogans.
False Accusations:
Is it correct to make false
allegations against Islam
whose Prophet gives a grace
period of four months instead
of the two asked for, on the
day of the conquest of
Makkah; makes the house of
his arch-enemy as sanctuary
of peace; announces general
amnesty and pardons to all
his opponents and bears with
patience hardships for fifteen
years at the hands of the
infidels of Makkah, and if he
takes his sword in hand to
protect himself and his faith
and to defeat the nefarious
designs of his enemies and
asks the believers to wage
Jihad against them so as to
emancipate mankind from
treachery, savagery, oppres-
sion, and to liberate man from
all kinds of domination and
subjugation? Certainly not.
Sometimes the opponents find
fault with the Holy Prophet
that he married too many
wives and mislead the people
by insinuating, God forbid,
that he was lustful, although
the fact is that the Holy
Prophet passed the youthful
years of his marital life with
only wife, the revered Lady of
Islam, Khadija-tul Kubra up to
the age of fifty years, and his
wedding with her was solem-
nized at the initiation of Lady
Khadija when she was forty
and the Holy Prophet was
twenty five years old.
Lady Khadija had already
rejected the offer for marriage
of several other men who
wanted to marry her because
of her financial standing. But
Lady Khadija proposed to the
Holy Prophet because he was
found to be a trustworthy,
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
20
truthful and righteous person
enjoying high reputation in
the whole of the Arabian
Peninsula and besides, she
had already heard from her
uncle Warqa bin Nawfal the
prophecies of the preceding
Prophets about the appear-
ance of the Holy Prophet as
the Prophet of Allah and of
her marriage with him.
The Holy Prophet spent 25
years of his married life with
Lady Khadija and spent her
wealth in the preaching of
Islam and to relieve mankind
from ignorance and tyrannies
although there were some of
the choicest girls wanted to
marry him, but he always
refused their offer. The other
wives of the Holy Prophet
were married to him only after
the demise of his first wife
Lady Khadija and that too
when he had passed the age
of fifty. These women were of
elderly age and were widows
and had orphaned children
and hence he had to lead a
hard and strenuous life with
them instead of life of ease,
comfort, and indulgence.
These wives of the Holy
Prophet were of varying
temperament and dispositions
and as such it was not easy to
get along with them. The
husbands of some of these
wives were martyred while
fighting against the infidels
and as such they needed
protection for themselves and
the orphans. If they had not
been married to the Holy
Prophet they would have
reverted to infidelity. One
among them was Sauda
whose husband died after he
had migrated to Abyssinia and
she was left without any
patron and supporter. Umm
Salama was another such wife
who was of old age and was
mother of orphaned children.
Zaynab was also another wife
of the Holy Prophet who was
the daughter of his aunt from
the father's side. She was first
married to Zayd bin Harith,
the slave and adoptive son of
the Holy Prophet. Her mar-
riage with Zayd did not last
long and she was divorced by
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
21
him. Then she married the
Holy Prophet.
The Holy Prophet married
Zaynab at Allah's command so
that the very root and basis of
a wrong custom might be
abolished. According to this
custom of the Age of Igno-
rance nobody was allowed to
marry the wife of his adopted
son and in this case since
Zayd was the adopted son of
the Holy Prophet, the latter
could not marry Zaynab, the
divorced wife of the former.
But Allah ordered this mar-
riage in order to abolish this
custom at the hands of the
Holy Prophet himself.
Besides, with a view to
maintain cordial relations
among various influential
tribes, to prevent disruption
among them, and to promote
internal stability, the Holy
Prophet married such women
as Ayesha, Hafsa, Umm
Habiba, Safiya and Maymuna.
Safiya of course was the
daughter of the tribal chief of
a big Jewish tribe of Bani
Nuzayr. When she was taken
prisoner, the Holy Prophet
married her and established
relationship with a big tribe.
In short, many of the wives of
the Holy Prophet were those
who had passed the age of
youth and personal charm,
and most of them had been
married once or twice before,
and had orphaned children
with them, and whom the
Holy Prophet married when he
was past fifty, an age which
by no means can be regarded
as an age of youthful and
lustful desires and by that
time he had attained great
reputation already, and that
many a beautiful girl aspired
to marry him. This is the proof
of the fact that the purpose of
the Holy Prophet in contract-
ing various marriages was
based on pious and noble
cause only.
Besides keeping these wives,
the Holy Prophet most often
passed his nights in offering
prayers & remembering Allah
as he did in his youth also.
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The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
22
Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a)
spent his short life in
sufferings and distresses. The
Abbasid kings spared no effort
in oppressing him. They
moved him from one prison to
another. They subjected him
to confinement and imposed
on him an economical
blockade. They prevented him
from meeting with his
followers as they prevented
ulama and scholars from
contacting with him to take
from the fountains of his
sciences. They tried more
than one time to assassinate
him but Allah protected him
from their plots.
There were some reasons that
made the Abbasids bear a
grudge against Imam Hasan
Al-Askari (a). Here are some
of them:
First, the Abbasids feared the
Awaited Imam about whom
the Prophet (s) had brought
good news, and through
divine knowledge, foretold of
his coming as the greatest
reformer of whose like
mankind had never seen
throughout all stages of
history. The Prophet (s) had
said that the Awaited Imam
(a) would spread political,
social justice all over the
world; that he would do away
with all kinds of injustice and
oppression, and defeat all
tyrants and oppressive powers
in the world. He would do
away with polytheism and
atheism, and raise the banner
of faith and truth. He would
revive the annulled laws of
Allah. Therefore, the Abbasids
tried to kill Imam Hasan Al-
Askari (a) to be sure he would
not leave offspring.
Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a) said
about that, ‘They claimed that
they wanted to kill me in
order to cut off my offspring,
but Allah falsified their saying,
and praise be to Allah.’[1]
Second, the Abbasids bore
envy towards Imam Hasan Al-
Martyrdom of Imam Hasan Askari (A.S.)
Excerpts from the book, “The Life of Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a.s.)”
By: Allama Baqir Shareef Al-Qurashi
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
23
Askari (a) for his popularity
and the great respect that all
classes of society showed
him, whereas the authority
was in the hand of the
Abbasids who received
nothing of respect or honoring
from people. Therefore, they
plotted day and night to do
away with him.
Third, the Alawids rose in
many revolts against the
Abbasid rule since its
beginning aiming at achieving
the political justice of Islam
and applying its economical
and social programs in life.
Those revolts were supported
by great masses of people in
the different Muslim
communities that harmed the
stature of Abbasid rule and
shook its throne and were
about to overthrow it.
Those revolts filled the hearts
of the Abbasids with hatred
and grudge against the
Alawids, and so they ordered
their policemen to chase
every Alawid. It was natural
that Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a)
suffered the bitterest
distresses from the Abbasids
because he was the master
and chief of the Alawids and
the Imam of Muslims at that
time.
Now, let us come back to the
last days of Imam Hasan Al-
Askari (a).
Appointing Imam Al-
Mahdi as the Next Imam
Imam al-Mahdi (a) is the hope
not only for Muslims but for
all oppressed human beings
who suffer slavery,
oppression, and subjection.
He is the Savior who will free
the will of man and save
peoples and nations from the
oppression of the corruptive
regimes who have turned this
world into unbearable hell.
Imam al-Mahdi (a) was and is
a great miracle in Islam. Allah
concealed his birth, as he had
concealed the birth of Prophet
Moses (a), because the
Abbasid government looked
for him…and in his remaining
alive (in occultation)
throughout the long stages of
life is also a miracle for Islam,
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
24
and in his reappearance and
announcing the pure
principles of Islam is another
miracle too.
The following are some of the
traditions transmitted from
Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a)
concerning the Imamate of
his son al-Mahdi (a).
1. Ahmad bin Isaaq bin Sa’eed
al-Ash’ari said, “Once, I went
to Abu Muhammad al-Hasan
bin Ali (a) intending to ask
him about the successor after
him. He said to me before I
asked him, ‘O Ahmad bin
Isaaq, Allah the Almighty did
not deprive the earth since He
created Adam and He does
not deprive it until the Day of
Resurrection of an authority
over His people. By him
distresses are pushed away
from the people of the earth,
by him rain falls down, and by
him the blessings of the earth
are emitted.’
I said to him, ‘O son of the
messenger of Allah, who is
the Imam and successor after
you?’ He got up hastily and
went in the house. Then, he
came out holding a three-
year-old boy, whose face was
like a full moon, on his
shoulder and said,
‘O Ahmad, were it not for your
honor near Allah the Almighty
and near His authorities, I
would not show you this, my
son. He was named and
surnamed like the messenger
of Allah (a). He will fill the
earth with justice and fairness
after it has been filled with
injustice and oppression. O
Ahmad, he, in this nation, is
like al-Khidhr (Elijah) and Thul
Qarnayn. By Allah, he will hide
in an occultation, during
which no one shall be saved
except one whom Allah fixes
on the believing in his
Imamate and supplicating
Allah to hasten his
deliverance.’ I said, ‘Is there
any sign so that I may be
sure?’ The young boy said, ‘I
am the representative of Allah
in His earth and the avenger
on His enemies. Do not look
for a sign after a proof!’
I left delightedly. On the
following day, I came back to
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
25
him and said, ‘O son of the
messenger of Allah, my
delight was so great for what
you favored me with.
Would you please tell me
what norm with al-Khidr and
Thul Qarnayn was?’ He said,
‘Long occultation.’ I said, ‘O
son of the messenger of Allah,
shall his occultation last long?’
Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a)
said, ‘Yes, by my Lord, until
many of those, who believe in
this matter (occultation and
reappearance), shall aposta-
tize, and no one shall remain
(believing) except those
whom Allah has taken from
them a covenant on our
guardianship, fixed faith in
their hearts, and supported
them with a mercy from Him.
O Ahmad, this is a command
from Allah, a secret from the
secrets of Allah, and an
unseen matter from the
unseen of Allah. Take what I
told you, and be from the
grateful, you shall be with us
in Illiyin.[2]”[3]
2. Muhammad bin Uthman al-
Umari narrated that his father
said, “Once, I was with Abu
Muhammad al-Hasan bin Ali
(al-Askari) when he was
asked about the tradition
transmitted from his father
that the earth would not be
empty from an authority from
Allah over His people until the
Day of Resurrection, and that
whoever died without
knowing the Imam of his age
would die as an unbeliever.
He said, ‘This is true as day is
true.’
Someone asked him, ‘O son of
the messenger of Allah, then,
who shall be the authority and
Imam after you?’ He said, ‘My
son Muhammad is the Imam
and the authority after me.
Whoever dies without knowing
(acknowledging) him shall dies
as an unbeliever. He will be in
an occultation where the
ignorant will be confused,
deniers will perish, and
daters[4] will tell lies. Then, he
will reappear, and as if I see
white flags fluttering over his
head at the hill of Kufa.’”[5]
3. Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a)
said, ‘Praise be to Allah Who
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
26
did not take me out of this life
until He made me see the
successor after me. He is the
most similar in shape and
morals to the Messenger of
Allah (s). Allah will protect
him in his occultation and
make him reappear to fill the
earth with justice and fairness
after it will be filled with
injustice and oppression.’[6]
4. Musa bin Ja’far al-Baghdadi
narrated that he had heard
Imam Abu Muhammad al-
Hasan bin Ali al-Askari (a)
saying, ‘As if I see that you
will disagree after me on my
successor. Surely, he, who
believes in the Imams after
the Messenger of Allah (a) but
denies my son, is like one,
who believes in all prophets
and messengers of Allah but
denies the Prophethood of the
Messenger of Allah (s),
because the obedience of the
last of us is like the obedience
of the first of us, and one,
who denies the last of us, is
like one who denies the first
of us. My son will have an
occultation where people will
be in doubt about it except
those whom Allah
preserves.’[7]
The Imam Comforts
Himself
Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a)
perceived from behind the
unseen that he would leave
this life and go near his Lord.
He said to his mother, ‘In the
year 260 I shall suffer bad
fever from which I shall be
afflicted…’
She was distressed, and
sorrow overcame her. She
began crying. Imam Hasan Al-
Askari (a) calmed her down
saying, ‘The fate of Allah must
take place. Do not worry…!’
In the year two hundred and
sixty, he died as he had
predicted.[8]
Assassinating The Imam
Al-Mu’tamid, the Abbasid
tyrant, could not bear Imam
Hasan Al-Askari (a) any
longer, for he saw and heard
people everywhere full of
praise for the Imam and
preferring him to all the
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
27
Alawids and the Abbasids.
Finally, he made his mind to
do away with the Imam. He
assassinated him by inserting
fatal poison to him.[9]
Poison reacted on his body,
and he began suffering bitter
and severe pains, while being
patient, resorting to Allah.
The Government’s
Confusion
The Abbasid government was
too confused when Imam
Hasan Al-Askari (a) became
seriously ill. Al-Mu’tamid
ordered five of his trusted
statesmen, among whom
Nahrir was, to remain in the
Imam’s house and report to
him about every new
happening. He also ordered a
committee of physicians to test
the Imam’s health day and
night. After two days, he
ordered the physicians not to
leave the Imam alone because
his state was too bad.[10]
To the Best of Abodes
The Imam’s health got worse,
and the physicians were
desperate of his recovery.
Death began approaching him
quickly. At those last
moments of his life, Imam
Hasan Al-Askari (a),
mentioned Allah, glorified
Him, and asked Him to take
him nearer to Him. His lips
were busy reciting verses
from the Holy Qur’an. He
turned towards the Qiblah,
and after no long, his pure
soul flew towards the Heaven
surrounded by the angels of
the Beneficent Lord.
It was the greatest loss
Muslims suffered in that age.
They lost their leader,
reformer, and instructor who
loved and helped their weak,
poor, and orphans.
The Imam’s body was
(ritually) washed, enshrouded,
put in the coffin, and carried
to be prayed on by Muslims.
Eesa son of al-Mutawakkil led
the prayer by al-Mu’tamid’s
order. After the prayer, he
uncovered the Imam’s face
before the Hashemites, the
Abbasids, army leaders,
government clerks, state
officials, judges, and
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
28
physicians and said to them,
‘This is al-Hasan bin Ali bin
Muhammad bin ar-Redha (a).
He died a natural death in his
bed. So-and-so of Ameerul
Mo’minin’s (al-Mu’tamid)
servants and trusted men, So-
and-so of judges, and So-and-
so of physicians were present
with him.’ Then he covered
his holy face.[11]
The painful news spread
everywhere in Samarra’. It
was a great shock for Muslims
who hurried up to the Imam’s
house while crying and
wailing. Government offices
and all markets were closed.
It was as if it was the Day of
Resurrection in Samarra’.[12]
Samarra’ did not witnessed
before a day of escorting like
that. Waves of human beings
and flowing masses of people
from all classes and trends
came to escort the holy corpse
of this pure Imam (a) while
mentioning his virtues and
favors and talking with great
sorrow and regret about the
great loss they were afflicted
with.
In his Last Abode
The pure corpse was brought
under a halo of takbir and
tahlil[13] towards the last
abode. Imam Hasan Al-Askari
(a) was buried in his house
beside the tomb of his father
Imam al-Hadi (a).
Samarra’ had two Imams from
the twelve imams and leaders
of Muslims, and it became at
the head of the holy places in
the Muslim world. It received
and still receives thousands of
visitors from everywhere in
the world who came to visit
the two holy shrines of Imam
al-Hadi and Imam al-Askari
(peace be on them).
Once, an-Nasir Lideenillah,
the Abbasid caliph, visited the
holy shrines of these two
infallible imams to be blessed
and close to Allah. His vizier
suggested to him that he
should also visit the tombs of
his fathers of the Abbasid
kings and he agreed. When
he reached there, he found
the graves dark and miserable
where sweepings had
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
29
accumulated and crows
gathered. The vizier asked the
king to take care & pay money
to rebuild these graves, but
the Abbasid king said, ‘How
far! That is of no use.’
The vizier asked, ‘why, O
Ameerul Mo’minin?’ He said,
‘Did you see the flourish of
the tombs of the pure
imams?’ The vizier said, ‘Yes.’
The king asked, ‘Do you know
the secret behind that?’ The
vizier answered, ‘No.’
An-Nasir Lideenillah said, ‘My
fathers associated with Satan,
and these masters associated
with Allah, and all that which
is for Allah remains, and all
that which is for Satan
perishes and disappears.’[14]
The Alawids, the Abbasids,
and Ja’far, Imam Hasan Al-
Askari’s brothers stood at the
tomb and the masses of
people began consoling them
for this painful affliction.
The Date Of His Death
Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a)
departed from this world to
the better world on the eighth
of Rabi-ul-Awwal[15] in the
year two hundred and sixty of
Hijra,[16] while he was
twenty-eight years old and
still in the prime of youth.[17]
References:
1. Kifayat al-Athar.
2. Illiyin is the highest position
in the Paradise.
3. Ikmaluddeen by Sheikh as-
Saduq, p.216-217.
4. Those who defines certain
dates for the reappearance
of the awaited imam (a).
5. Kifayat al-Athar.
6. Ikmaluddeen, p.228.
7. Kifayat al-Athar.
8. Muhaj ad-Da’awat, p.274.
9. Al-Irshad, p.383.
10. Al-Irshad, p.383.
11. Al-Irshad, p.383.
12. Al-Irshad, p.383.
13. Takbir is the saying “Allahu
Akbar-Allah is great” and
tahlil is the saying “la illaha
illallah-there is no god but
Allah”.
14. Kashf al-Ghummah.
15. Tareekh Baghdad, vol.7
p.366.
16. Mir’at al-Jinan, vol.2 p.462,
17. al-Wardi, vol.1 p.325.
18. Jami’ al-Akhbar, p.42, al-
Irshad, p.389.
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The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
30
The article is excerpts from the
book “Maghze Mutafakkir Jehan
Shia”, the famous Persian book,
which has been published four
times in Tehran, Iran. The Persian
book is itself a translation from a
French thesis published by The
Research Committee of Stras-
bourg, France, about the contri-
bution of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq
(a.s.) to science, philosophy,
literature etc. Kokab Ali Mirza did
the translation from Persian.
The article presents a lively
debate between Imam Jafar as-
Sadiq (a.s.) and an ignorant but
arrogant Abu Shakir. It shows
how ignorance and arrogance
clouds people’s spiritual percep-
tions and practical knowledge,
which can otherwise help them
live orderly and progressive lives.
Ja’far as-Sadiq (A.S.) and
Abu Shakir
Ja’far as-Sadiq was one of the
most patient and tolerant
teachers of his time. He used
to give his classes every day.
After his lectures he would
listen and reply to the objec-
tions of his critics. He had
asked his critics, who attend-
ed his classes, not to interrupt
him during his lectures. They
were quite free to ask him
any question or raise any
objection after the classes
were over.
Once Abu Shakir, one of his
opponents, said to him,
“Would you allow me to say
something and ask some
questions?” “Yes, you can”,
replied Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.).
Said Abu Shakir, “Is it not a
myth that there is Allah? You
want people to believe in a
thing which does not exist. If
there was Allah, we could
have felt his existence
through our senses. You may
say that we can feel His
presence by the help of our
inner senses, but our inner
senses also depend upon our
five outer senses. We cannot
conjure up an image of
Contribution of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq
(A.S.) To Science & Philosophy
By: Zabihullah Mansouri
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
31
anything in which some of our
senses were not involved. We
cannot conjure up the picture
of a person whom we have
not met; recall to our memory
his voice if we have not heard
him and feel the touch of his
hand by our inner senses if
we have never taken his hand
in our hand.
You may say that we can
perceive the presence of Allah
by our intelligence and not
through our inner or outer
senses. But our intelligence
also needs the assistance of
our five outer senses, without
which it cannot function. We
cannot make any reasoning or
come to any conclusion
without the help of our senses.
By your imagination you have
created a being, which is of
your own image. Since you
see, talk, hear, work and rest,
He also does exactly what you
do.
You do not show Him to
anyone. To maintain your
hold on the people you say
that He cannot be seen. You
also say that He was not born
from the womb of a woman.
He does not procreate and
that He would not die.
You say that the universe was
created by Allah, who did not
talk to anyone, except to the
Prophet of Islam. As a matter
of fact the universe came by
itself. Does anyone create the
grass, which grows in the
field? Does it not grow and
get green by itself? Does
anyone create the ants and
the mosquitoes? Do they not
come out by themselves?
I must tell you, who claims to
be a scholar and the succes-
sor of the Prophet, that
among all the stories, which
circulate among the people,
none is more absurd and
baseless than the story of
Allah, who cannot be seen.
There are many baseless
stories, but they, at least,
depict real life and present
before us the people and
personalities, who may
themselves be fictitious, but
their acts and deeds are like
those of real human beings.
We can see them. They eat,
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
32
they drink, they talk, they
sleep and they love. When we
read these fictitious stories,
we enjoy them. We know that
they are false, but we see in
them the faces of men and
women, who are like us. The
people mentioned in the
stories might not have exist-
ed, but our common sense
accepts the existence of such
people in the world. However,
when we cannot see, feel or
touch your Allah, our logic
and reasoning, which depend
upon our senses, do not
accept his existence.
I known that some people,
who have been deceived by
you, believe in your invisible
Allah, but you cannot deceive
me and make me believe in
Him. I worship God, who is
made of wood and stone.
Although my God does not
talk, but I can see him with
my eyes and touch him with
my hands.
You say that the God whom I
have made from my own
hands is not worthy of being
worshipped, while you ask the
people to worship Allah,
Whom you have created by
your imagination.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) did not
say a word during the long
tirade of Abu Shakir. Some-
times his students, who were
present, wanted to intervene
but he asked them to remain
quiet. When Abu Shakir
stopped his lengthy discourse,
he asked him, if he had
anything more to say.
Retorted Abu Shakir, “By
introducing your invisible Allah
to the people, you want to
acquire wealth and position
and have a respectable,
comfortable and luxurious life.
These are my last words. I do
not want to say anything
more.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “I
would like to start with the
last part of your speech. Your
accusation that I want money,
position and a comfortable life
would have been justified if I
were living like a caliph. You
have seen today that I have
eaten a few morsels of bread
only and nothing else. I invite
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
33
you to my house to see for
yourself what I have for
dinner and how I live.
Abu Shakir, if I wanted to
acquire wealth and get rich I
would have earned money
and got rich by my knowledge
of chemistry. Another way to
get rich was to do business. I
have more knowledge about
foreign markets than any
merchant in Medina. I know
what goods are produced in
different countries and where
to sell them for profit. I also
know how to bring them here
to reduce the cost of
transport. Our merchants
import goods only from Syria,
Iraq, Egypt and some other
Arab countries. They do not
know what goods are availa-
ble in Isfahan, Rasht and
Rome; otherwise they would
have imported them and sold
them with profit.
Abu Shakir, you have said that
I ask the people to worship
Allah to deceive them and to
get rich. I must tell you that I
have never taken anything
from anyone, except some
fruits, as presents. One of my
friends sends to me every
year fresh dates from his
garden and another some
pomegranates from Taif. I
accept these presents so that
they may not get offended.
I have heard, O Abu Shakir,
that your father was a pearl
merchant. Perhaps you may
have some knowledge about
pearls. But I know all about
pearls and precious stones. I
can also appraise their market
value. If I wanted to get rich I
would have worked as a
jeweler. Can you test and
recognize a precious stone?
Do you know how many kinds
of rubies and emeralds are
there in the world?”
“I know nothing about them”,
replied Abu Shakir.
“Do you know how many
kinds of diamonds there are
and what colours they have?”
asked Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.).
“I do not know”, replied Abu
Shakir.
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “I
am not a jeweler, but I know
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
34
all about pearls and precious
stones. I also know where
they come from. All jewelers
know about gems, what I
know, but few of them know
their sources.”
“Do you know what makes a
diamond shine?” asked Ja’far
as-Sadiq (a.s.).
“I never was a diamond
merchant, nor was my father.
How can I know why dia-
monds shine?”, replied Abu
Shakir.
Said Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.),
“Diamonds are obtained from
the beds of rivers and
streams. Rough diamonds are
cut by experts. It is the cut of
a diamond, which gives it its
brilliance. Those who are
experts in cutting diamonds
are trained from childhood in
the profession of their forefa-
thers. Cutting a diamond is a
very delicate and difficult art.
A diamond is cut only by a
diamond.
Abu Shakir, I have said all this
simply to show to you that if I
wanted to accumulate wealth,
I could have done so by
making use of my knowledge
about jewels. I have replied to
your accusations and now I
shall deal with your objec-
tions.
Abu Shakir, you have said that
I have fabricated stories and
ask the people to worship
Allah, who cannot be seen.
You refuse to acknowledge
the existence of Allah because
He cannot be seen. Can you
see inside your own body?”
Replied Abu Shakir, “No, I
cannot.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “If
you could have seen what is
inside you, you would not
have said that you do not
believe in Allah, who cannot
be seen.”
Abu Shakir asked, “What is
the relationship between
seeing within one’s own body
and the existence of unseen
Allah?”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) replied,
“You have said just now that
a thing, which cannot be
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
35
seen, touched, tasted or
heard, does not exist.”
Abu Shakir said, “Yes, I have
said that and I believe it is
true.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) asked,
“Do you hear the sound of the
movement of blood in your
body?”
Said Abu Shakir, “No, I do
not. But does blood move in
the body?”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said,
“Yes, it does. It makes a full
circuit of your body. If the
circulation of blood stops for a
few minutes you will die.”
Abu Shakir said, “I cannot
believe that blood circulates in
the body.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “It
is your ignorance, which does
not let you believe that your
blood circulates in your body,
and the same ignorance does
not let you believe in the
existence of Allah, Who
cannot be seen.” Then he
asked Abu Shakir whether he
has seen the tiny living
beings, which Allah has
created in his body.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) contin-
ued, “It is because of these
small creatures and their
wonderful work that you are
kept alive. They are so small
that you cannot see them.
Since you are a slave of your
senses, you cannot know
about their existence. If you
increase your knowledge and
decrease your ignorance, you
will come to know that these
small beings in your body are
as large in number as the
particles of sand in the desert.
“These small creatures are
born in your body, multiply in
your body, work in your body
and die in your body. But you
never see them, touch them,
taste them or hear them in
your lifetime.”
“It is true that one who knows
himself knows Allah. If you
had known yourself and had
the knowledge of what is
going on inside your body,
you would not have said that
you do not believe in Allah,
without seeing Him.”
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
36
Pointing to a huge stone he
said, “Abu Shakir, do you see
the stone, which is at the foot
of that portico? To you it
seems lifeless and motionless,
because you do not see the
brisk motion, which is inside
the stone. Again it is lack of
knowledge or your ignorance,
which would not let you
believe that there is motion
inside the stone. The time will
come when the learned
people would see the motion
which is in the stone.”
Continued Ja’far as-Sadiq
(a.s.), “Abu Shakir, you have
said that everything in the
universe came by itself and
has no creator. You think that
the grass in the field grows
and gets green by itself. You
must know that the grass
cannot grow without seeds
and seeds would not germi-
nate without moisture in the
soil and there would be no
moisture without rain. The
rain does not fall by itself.
First the water vapour rises
and gathers above in the
atmosphere in the form of
clouds. The winds bring the
clouds. Then the water vapour
condenses and falls down as
rain. The rain must also fall at
the right time; otherwise no
grass will grow and become
green.
Take the seeds of ten kinds of
herbs and put them in a
closed jar, which has sufficient
water, but no air. Would they
germinate? No, in addition to
water, seeds also need air. It
is possible to grow grass,
herbs and fruits in hot houses,
when it is very cold, provided
there is sufficient air. Without
the presence of air no grass
will grow in the fields and get
green. If there is no air, all
plants and animals, including
human beings, would die.
Abu Shakir, do you see the
air, on which your very
existence depends. You only
feel it when it moves. Can you
refuse to believe in the
existence of air? Can you
deny that to grow and get
green the grass needs many
things, e.g. seeds, soil, water,
air, a suitable climate and
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
37
above all a strong managing
power, which may coordinate
the action of these different
elements. That Managing and
Coordinating Power is Allah.
You say that everything
comes by itself, because you
are not a scientist. No scien-
tist would ever say that. All
scientists and all scholars
believe in the existence of a
creator, albeit, they may call
Him by different names. Even
those, who do not believe in
Allah, believe in a Creative
Force.
Abu Shakir, it is not because
of one’s knowledge, but it is
due to his ignorance that he
does not believe in Allah.
When a wise man thinks of
himself, he finds that his own
body needs a controller so
that all its organs and systems
may function properly. He
then realizes that this vast
universe also needs a control-
ler or supervisor so that it
may run smoothly.
You said just now that both of
us create our own gods, you
by your hands and I by my
imagination. But there is a big
difference between your god
and my Allah. Your god did
not exist before you made
him out of wood or stone, but
my Allah was there before I
could think about Him. I do
not create my Allah by my
hands or by my brain. What I
do is to know Him better and
think of His Greatness. When
you see a mountain you try to
know more about it. It is not
creating the mountain by
imagination. That mountain
was there before you saw it
and it would be there when
you are gone.
You cannot know much about
the mountain because of your
limited knowledge. The more
your knowledge grows, the
more you will learn about it. It
is impossible for you to find
out when and how that
mountain came into being and
when it would disappear. You
cannot find out what minerals
are there inside or underneath
the mountain and what is
their benefit to mankind.
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
38
Do you know that the stones,
out of which you make your
idols, came into being thou-
sands of years ago and shall
exist for thousands of years
more? These stones have
come here from a distant
place. They could travel that
long journey because different
parts of the earth are always
moving, but this movement is
so slow that you do not feel it.
There is nothing in the
universe, which is not in
motion. Rest or motionless-
ness is meaningless. We are
not at rest even when we are
sleeping. We are in motion
because the earth is in
motion. Besides, we have a
motion inside our own bodies.
Abu Shakir, if you had any
knowledge about the piece of
stone, out of which you carve
an idol, you would not have
denied the existence of Allah
and said that I have created
him by my imagination. You
do not know what a stone is
and how it came into being.
Today you can handle it as
you like and cut it into any
shape or form, but there was
a time when it was in liquid
state. Gradually it cooled
down and Allah solidified it. In
the beginning it was quite
brittle and would have broken
into pieces in your hand like a
piece of glass.”
Asked Abu Shakir, “Was it in a
liquid condition before?”
“Yes, it was”, replied Ja’far as-
Sadiq (a.s.).
Abu Shakir burst out laughing.
One of the students of Ja’far
as-Sadiq (a.s.) got angry and
was about to say something
when he was stopped by his
teacher.
Abu Shakir said, “I am laugh-
ing because you say that
stones are made of water.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) replied,
“I did not say that the stones
are made of water. What I
had said was that in the
beginning they were in a
liquid state.”
Abu Shakir said, “What
difference does it make?
Liquid and water are one and
the same.”
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
39
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) replied,
“There are many liquids which
are not water. Milk and
vinegar are liquids which are
not water, although they have
water content in them. In the
beginning the stones were
liquid like water and they
flowed like water. Gradually
they cooled down and became
hard so that you could cut
and shape them. The same
hard stones will turn liquid if
heated.”
Said Abu Shakir, “When I go
home I will check the truth of
your statement. I will put the
stone in the fireplace and see
if it turns into liquid or not.”
Said Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.),
“You cannot liquefy stone in
your fireplace. Can you liquefy
a piece of iron at home? A
very high temperature is
required to turn solid stone
into liquid.
Do you realize how you could
make idols out of stones? It
was Allah, who made the
stones. It was He Who
created you and gave you
hands with unique fingers,
which enabled you to handle
tools and chisel the idols from
stones. Again it was He who
gave you power and intelli-
gence, which you used for
making the idols.
Abu Shakir, do you think that
the mountains are only heaps
of stones? The Great Allah has
created them to serve some
very useful purpose. They
were not created so that you
may take stones and turn
them into idols. Wherever
there is a mountain there is
flowing water. Rain and snow
which fall on the mountain-
tops produce streams of fresh
water. These streams com-
bine together to form big
rivers, which irrigate farms
and fields. The people who
live in the valleys, through
which the rivers flow, are
assured of constant supply of
water.
People, who can afford it, go
to the mountain during the
summer season to escape the
heat of the plains.
The mountains work as a
great bulwark and protect
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
40
towns and villages, which are
in their valleys, from the
devastation and destruction of
hurricanes.
Green mountains provide
good grazing grounds for
sheep. When scorching heat
burns the pastures down in
the plains and no fodder is
left, the shepherds take their
flocks of sheep to the moun-
tains and stay there till the
end of summer.
Mountains are habitats of
birds and animals, some of
which are a good source of
food for those who live there.
Even the mountains, which
are not green, are not without
some use. If the people try,
they may discover in them
mines of metals and minerals
which are useful for mankind.
Abu Shakir, I am too small
and too weak to create Allah
with my brain. It is He, who
has created my brain, so that
I may think of Him and know
that He is my Creator. He was
there before I came into being
and He would be there when I
am no more. I do not mean
that I would be totally de-
stroyed. Nothing in the
universe is totally destroyed.
Everything is subject to
change. It is only Allah, Who
does not change.
Abu Shakir, please tell me
sincerely to whom will you
turn for help when you are in
trouble? Do you hope that the
idol you carve out of stone
can come to your rescue? Can
it cure you when you are sick;
save you from mishaps and
calamities; save you from
starvation and help you pay
your debts?”
Abu Shakir replied, “I have no
such expectations from stone,
but, I think there is something
inside the stone, which will
help me. Moreover, I cannot
help worshipping it.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) en-
quired, “What is inside the
stone? Is it also stone?”
“I do not know what it is. But
it cannot help me if it is also
stone”, replied Abu Shakir.
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
41
Said Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.),
“Abu Shakir, what is inside the
stone and is not stone and
can help when you are in
trouble is, Allah.”
Abu Shakir pondered over the
subject for a while and then
said, “Is Allah, who cannot be
seen inside the stone?”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) replied,
“He is everywhere.”
Abu Shakir said, “I cannot
believe that a thing may be
everywhere but remain
unseen.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “Do
you know that air is every-
where but cannot be seen?”
Said Abu Shakir, “Although I
cannot see air, I can, at least,
feel it when it moves. But I
can neither see your Allah nor
feel His presence.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) said,
“You do not feel the presence
of air when it is not moving.
The air is only a creation of
Allah. He is everywhere, but
you cannot see Him or feel
His presence by your senses.
You have admitted just now
that although you do not see
it, but your instinct or your
soul tells you that there is
something inside the stone,
and is not the stone, which
can help you. That something
is Allah. Your instinct also tells
you that you cannot live
without Allah and without
worshipping Him.”
Abu Shakir said, “It is true. I
cannot live without worship-
ping idols.”
Said Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.), “Do
not say idols. Say Allah. It is
He, Who is worthy of worship.
Just like you, everyone is
obliged to worship Him. One,
who does not worship Allah
has no guide and no guardian.
He is just like one, who
cannot see, cannot hear,
cannot feel and cannot think.
He does not know where to
go and on whom to depend
when in trouble.
Worshipping Allah is a part of
life. Every living being wor-
ships Him instinctively. Even
the animals cannot live
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
42
without worshipping Him. We
cannot ask them and they
cannot tell us that they
worship Allah, but their well-
regulated and orderly life is
sufficient proof that they
worship Him.
I do not say that animals
believe in Allah and worship
Him just as we do. But there
is no doubt that they obey the
laws made by their Creator
faithfully, which means they
worship Him. If they were not
obedient to their Creator, they
could not have such an
orderly and regulated life.
We see that just before the
advent of spring the lark (a
kind of small bird) always
comes at the same time and
sings, as if to give us the
tiding of the new season. The
itinerary of these migratory
birds is so regulated and their
schedule so fixed that even if
the last days of winter are still
cold, their arrival is not
delayed for more than a few
days. When the swallow (a
migratory bird) returns after
covering a distance of thou-
sands of miles, it builds its
nest at the same place, where
it had built it last spring. Was
it possible for these small
birds to have such a well-
organized life if they did not
obey the laws of Allah and
worship Him?”
Abu Shakir, even the plants
obey the laws made by Allah
faithfully and worship Him.
Out of 150 species of plants,
which are further divided into
hundreds of sub-species you
will not find even one plant,
which has a disorganized and
disorderly life.
Abu Shakir, just like us, the
plants also do not see their
Creator, but they worship Him
by obeying His laws instinc-
tively.
I know that you will not
accept, or perhaps, you do
not understand, what I say. A
man must have sufficient
knowledge to understand
complicated problems.
Abu Shakir, not only animals
by their animal instinct and
plants by their plant instinct
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
43
obey Allah and worship Him,
the lifeless and inanimate
objects also, with whatever
instinct they have, obey Allah
and worship Him. If they did
not worship Him, they would
not have followed the laws
made by Him. As a result,
their atoms would have
broken apart and they would
have been destroyed.
The light of the sun also
worships Allah by obeying His
laws, which are very stringent
and exact. It comes into being
by the combination of two
opposite forces. These forces
also obey the laws of Allah
and worship Him, otherwise
they cannot produce light.
Abu Shakir, if there was no
Allah there would have been
no universe and neither you
nor me. The sentence, “There
is no Allah’, is meaningless.
The existence of Allah is a
must. If attention of Allah is
diverted, even for a moment
from the affairs of the uni-
verse to something else, it
would break up. Everything in
the universe obeys His laws,
which are permanent and
eternal. Because of His
absolute wisdom and
knowledge, he could make
such wonderful laws, which
will last forever. Each and
every law, made by Him
serves some special and
useful purpose.”
When Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.)
concluded his discourse, Abu
Shakir fell into a deep reverie
as if he was greatly inspired.
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) asked,
“Do you now believe that
Allah, who cannot be seen,
does exist and what you
worship is the unseen Allah?”
Abu Shakir replied, “I am not
yet convinced. I am in a
quandary. I am full of doubts
and misgivings about my faith
and my convictions.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) re-
marked, “Doubt about idol
worship is the beginning of
the worship of Allah.”
Death, a Boon to Mankind
Continuing his discourse Ja’far
as-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “Abu
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
44
Shakir, one of the laws of
Allah is death. Ignorant
people think that death does
not serve any useful purpose
or it is, rather, harmful to
human beings. Some people
have said that it is a cruel act
of Allah.
Death serves a very useful
purpose and is essential for
the survival of mankind. If
there were no death the
human race would have
become extinct. Scientists,
who tried in the past to do
away with natural death, were
making a big mistake. I would
appeal to the future genera-
tion of scientists that they
should not try to do away
with death.
If we suppose that nothing
would happen and that
human beings would live
happily and peacefully after
the conquest of death, they
would multiply so much that
every piece of land would be
occupied by them and nothing
would be left for agriculture
and farming. There would be
so much shortage of food that
the hungry people would first
eat all the animals and then
start eating one another.
Committing suicide is against
the Commandments of Allah.
He has ordered us to preserve
our lives and the only way to
keep us alive is not to indulge
in overeating and drinking.
Excessive eating and drinking
shortens life. It is for the
safety and preservation of life
that my grandfather, Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), has
asked us not to eat too much
meat and make our stomachs
graveyards of animals.”
Abu Shakir asked, “What does
it mean?”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) replied,
“It means that we should
abstain from eating too much
meat.”
Abu Shakir asked, “Please let
me know what is death?”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) replied,
“Death is cessation of the
functions of different parts of
the human body, specially
stopping of heart beats and
breathing.”
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
45
Abu Shakir asked, “What
causes one to die.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) replied,
“One cause of death is
sickness, including the internal
sickness, which causes
sudden death. The other
cause of death is old age.
Even if a man is healthy he
will die someday due to old
age. The Greek philosopher,
Hippocrates, has said that old
age is also a kind of sickness.
No one will die when it is
known how to treat it and
cure it.”
Abu Shakir remarked, “But no
physician can cure the sick-
ness of old age.”
Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) added, “I
do not think that old age can
ever be cured. Allah has
created old age and death by
His Will and with a great
purpose. Whatever Allah has
ordained must happen. He
has said that everything
would die except He, the
Creator of Life and Death.
Death is the change of matter
from one form to another.
Nothing in nature remains in
one and the same condition
forever. Death is for the good
of mankind. It is essential for
the survival and continuation
of human race. If it was not
created by Allah, human
beings would have created it
themselves.”
�����
Sayings of Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (A.S.)
* Allah does not accept any act
without knowledge, there is no
knowledge without act, so
whoever knows, knowledge
leads him to act, and whoever
does not act gets no
knowledge, but belief is a little
of a little.
* Nothing is better than
silence, no enemy is more
harmful than ignorance, and no
illness is more dangerous than
telling lies.
* The best of men is he in
whom five traits have come
together: If he does well, he is
cheerful; if he does badly, he
asks forgiveness; if he is
afflicted, he is patient, and if he
is wronged, he forgives.
�����
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
46
Now let us see what relation-
ship to each other these two
pillars or aspects of humanity
bear, or can bear.
In the Christian world, owing
to some textual corruptions in
the Old Testament (the
Torah), the idea of the
opposition of science and faith
has become widespread, an
idea that has cost both of
them dearly.
This idea has its roots chiefly
in the Book of Genesis. In
Genesis 2:16-17, we find,
regarding Adam, paradise,
and the forbidden tree: “[The
Lord God] told the man, 'You
may eat from every tree in
the garden, but not from the
tree of the knowledge of good
and evil; for on the day that
you eat from it, you will
certainly die.”
In Genesis 3:1-8, it is said:
The Serpent was more crafty
than any wild creature that
the Lord God had made. He
said to the woman, “Is it true
that God has forbidden you to
eat from any tree in the
garden?” The woman an-
swered the serpent, “We may
eat the fruit of any tree in the
garden, except for the tree in
the middle of the garden; God
has forbidden us either to eat
or to touch the fruit of that; if
we do, we shall die.”
The serpent said, “Of course
you will not die. God knows
that as soon as you eat it,
your eyes will be opened and
you will be like gods knowing
both good and evil.” When
the woman saw that the fruit
of the tree was good to eat,
and that it was pleasing to the
eye and tempting to contem-
plate, she took some and ate
it. She also gave her husband
some and he ate it. Then the
eyes of both of them were
opened and they discovered
that they were naked; so they
stitched fig leaves together
and made themselves loin-
cloths.
In Genesis 3:23, it is said:
[The LORD God] said, “The
Relationship of Science and Faith
By: Ayatollah Shaheed Murtaza Mutahhari
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
47
man has become like one of
us, knowing good and evil;
what if he now reaches out
his hand and takes fruit from
the tree of life also, eats it
and lives forever?”
According to this conception
of man and God, of con-
sciousness and rebellion,
God's command (din) is that
man must not know good and
evil, not grow conscious - the
forbidden tree is the tree of
consciousness. Man, in his
rebellion, his mutiny, against
God's command (his balking
at the teachings of the
revealed laws and prophets),
attains consciousness and
knowledge and so is driven
from God's paradise. Accord-
ing to this conception, all
satanic suggestions are the
suggestions of consciousness;
therefore, the suggestor,
Satan, is reason itself.
To us Muslims, who have
studied the Qur'an, God
taught Adam all the names
(realities) and then com-
manded the angels to pros-
trate themselves before him.
Satan was expelled from the
court for not prostrating
before this vicegerent of God,
conscious of realities. And the
Sunna has taught us that the
forbidden tree was that of
greed, avidity, something of
this sort, that is, something
connected with the animality
of Adam, not with his humani-
ty, that Satan the suggestor
always suggests things
contrary to reason but con-
forming to the passions of the
animal ego, and that what
manifests Satan within man's
being is the ego that incites to
evil, not the Adamic reason.
For us who are thus schooled,
what we see in Genesis is
quite astonishing.
It is this conception that
divides the last fifteen hun-
dred years of European
history into the Age of Faith
and the Age of Reason and
sets faith and science at odds.
But the history of Islamic
civilization is divisible into the
Age of Flowering, or the Age
of Science and Faith, and the
Age of Decline, in which
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
48
science and faith together
have declined. We Muslims
must eschew this wrong
conception that has inflicted
irreparable injuries on science
and on faith, indeed on
humanity; we must not take
this opposition of science and
faith for granted.
Let us now proceed analytical-
ly and ask in a scholarly
fashion whether these two
aspects or bases of humanity
actually each pertain to a
certain era. Is man con-
demned ever to remain half-
human, to have only half his
humanity in a given era? Is he
forever condemned to one of
these two species of misfor-
tune: the misfortunes arising
from ignorance and the
misfortunes arising from want
of faith?
Every faith is inevitably based
on a special mode of thought
and a special conception of
the universe and of being.
Many conceptions and inter-
pretations of the universe,
although they can serve as
bases for faith and devotion,
are inconsistent with logical
and scientific principles and so
necessarily deserve rejection.
But is there a mode of
thought, a kind of conception
and interpretation of the
universe and of being, that
both draws support from the
region of science, philosophy,
and logic and can be a firm
foundation for a felicitous
faith? If such a conception,
mode of thought, or worldview
exists, then it will be clear that
man is not condemned to the
misfortunes arising from either
ignorance or want of faith.
One can address the relation-
ship of science and faith from
either of two standpoints. One
standpoint is whether an
interpretation or conception
exists that is both productive
of faith and idealism and
supported by logic. Are all the
ideas that science and philos-
ophy impart to us contrary to
faith, devotion, hope, and
optimism? (This is a question
that I will take up later in
discussing the idea of a
worldview.)
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
49
The other standpoint is that of
the influences upon man of
science on the one hand and
faith on the other. Does
science call us to one thing
and faith to another, and
opposed, thing? Does science
seek to shape us one way and
faith another, opposed, way?
Does our science carry us in
one direction and faith in
another? Or do science and
faith fulfil and complement
one another? Does science
shape half of us and faith the
other half, harmoniously?
Science gives us enlighten-
ment and power; faith gives
us love, hope, and ardor.
Science makes instruments;
faith constructs purposes.
Science gives speed; faith
gives direction. Science is
power; faith is benevolence.
Science shows what is; faith
inspires insight into what must
be done. Science is the outer
revolution; faith is the inner
revolution. Science makes the
universe the human universe;
faith makes the psyche the
psyche of humanity. Science
expands man's being horizon-
tally; faith conveys him
upward. Science shapes
nature; faith shapes man.
Both science and faith em-
power man, but science gives
a power of discrimination, and
faith gives a power of integra-
tion. Both science and faith
are beauty, but science is the
beauty of the reason, and
faith is the beauty of the
spirit. Science is the beauty of
thought, and faith is the
beauty of feeling. Both
science and faith give man
security, but science gives
outward security, and faith
gives inward security. Science
gives security against the
onslaught of illness, floods,
earthquakes, storms; faith,
against worry, loneliness,
feelings of helplessness,
feelings of futility. Science
brings the world into greater
harmony with man, and faith
brings man into greater
harmony with himself.
Man's need for science and
faith together has greatly
excited the interest of both
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
50
religious and nonreligious
thinkers. Allama Muhammad
Iqbal has said: “Humanity
needs three things today - a
spiritual interpretation of the
universe, spiritual emancipa-
tion of the individual and basic
principles of a universal
import directing the evolution
of human society on a spiritu-
al basis. Modern Europe has,
no doubt, built idealistic
systems on these lines, but
experience shows that truth
revealed through pure reason
is incapable of bringing that
fire of living conviction which
personal revelation alone can
bring.
This is the reason why pure
thought has so little influ-
enced men while religion has
always elevated individuals,
and transformed whole
societies. The idealism of
Europe never became a living
factor in her life and the result
is a perverted ego seeking
itself through mutually
intolerant democracies whose
sole function is to exploit the
poor in the interest of the
rich. Believe me, Europe today
is the greatest hindrance in
the way of man's ethical
achievement.
On the other hand the Muslim
is in possession of these
ultimate ideas on the basis of
a revelation, which, speaking
from the inmost depths of life,
internalizes its own apparent
externality. With him the
spiritual basis of life is a
matter of conviction for which
even the least enlightened
man among us can easily lay
down his life”.
Will Durant, author of the
History of Civilization, alt-
hough nonreligious, says:
“[Lucretius would suggest of
our progress in mechaniza-
tion] that this was a differ-
ence of means and not of
ends. …What if all our pro-
gress is an improvement in
methods, but not in purpos-
es?” He also says: “Our
wealth is a weariness, and our
wisdom is a little light that
chills; but love warms the
heart with unspeakable
solace, even more when it is
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
51
given than when it is re-
ceived.”
Today most people realise
that scientism and the unal-
loyed scientific education are
incapable of shaping the
whole human being. The
product of this education is
the raw material of humanity,
not the fully shaped humanity.
It shapes humanity with
capacity, not one with attain-
ment. It shapes a uniform
humanity, not a multiform
one. Today most people
realise that the age of sci-
ence-and-nothing-but has
come to an end.
A vacuum in ideals threatens
society. Some would fill it with
philosophy; others have
resorted to literature, the arts,
and the humanities. In Iran,
too, some propose to fill this
vacuum with a humanistic
culture, and especially with
the literature of 'irfan, includ-
ing such writings as those of
Rumi, Sa'di, and Hafiz. But
they forget that this literature
has derived its spirit and
attraction from religion. The
humanistic spirit of these
literatures is that selfsame
religious spirit of Islam.
Otherwise why are some
modern literatures so cold,
lifeless, and unattractive, for
all their humanist affecta-
tions? The humane content of
our literature of ‘irfan derives
from the kind of thought
concerning the universe and
man that is specifically
Islamic. If we take the spirit
of Islam from these literary
masterpieces, we are left with
nothing more than the dross,
or a dead form.
Will Durant feels this vacuum
and proposes that literature,
philosophy, and art fill it. He
says: “Our schools and
colleges have suffered severe-
ly from Spencer's conception
of education as the adjust-
ment of the individual to his
environment; it was a dead,
mechanical definition, drawn
from a mechanistic philoso-
phy, and distasteful to every
creative spirit. The result has
been the conquest of our
schools by mechanical and
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
52
theoretical science, to the
comparative exclusion of such
“useless” subjects as litera-
ture, history, philosophy, and
art…. An education that is
purely scientific makes a mere
tool of its product; it leaves
him a stranger to beauty, and
gives him powers that are
divorced from wisdom. It
would have been better for
the world if Spencer had
never written on education”.
It is remarkable that although
Durant acknowledges that the
existing vacuum is, in the first
place, a “vacuum of ideals,” a
vacuum in the area of objects,
ends, and aspirations, a
vacuum leading to nihilism,
although he affirms that it is a
vacuum of a kind of thought
for and a kind of belief in
humane objects and goals, he
nonetheless supposes it is
remediable through any sort
of ideal values, even though
they may not go beyond the
realm of imagination. He
supposes that busying oneself
with history, art, aesthetics,
poetry, and music can fill this
vacuum that arises from the
depths of man's aspiring and
idealistic nature.
Non-interchangeability of
Science and Faith
Science cannot replace faith
to give - besides illumination
and power - love and hope. It
cannot raise the level of our
desires. Although it can help
us attain objects and goals, to
follow the road to them, it
cannot take from us those
objects, aspirations, and
desires that by nature and
instinct turn on individuality
and self-interest and give us
in their place objects and
aspirations that turn on love
and on ideal and spiritual
bonds. Although it is a tool in
our hands, it cannot transform
our essence and identity.
Likewise, faith cannot replace
science, to enable us to
understand nature, discover
its laws, or learn about
ourselves.
Historical experiences have
shown that the separation of
science from faith has brought
about irremediable harm.
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
53
Faith must be known in the
light of science; faith must be
kept far from superstition in
the light of science. When
science is removed from faith,
faith is deformed into petrifac-
tion and blind fanaticism; it
turns on its own axis and goes
nowhere. When there is no
science and true knowledge,
the faith of an ignorant
believer becomes an instru-
ment in the hands of the
clever charlatans exemplified
in early Islam by the Kharijites
and seen in various forms in
later times.
Conversely, science without
faith is a sword in the hands
of a maniac, or else a lamp at
midnight in the hands of a
thief, so he can pick out the
choicest goods. Thus, the
scientifically informed person
of today without faith does
not differ in the least from the
ignoramus without faith of
yesterday in the nature and
essence of his behaviour.
What difference is there
between the Churchills,
Johnsons, Nixons, and Stalins
of today and the Ghengises
and Attilas of yesterday?
But, it might be said, is
science not both light and
power? Do the light and
power of science not only
apply to the external world,
but also illuminate and reveal
to us our inner world and so
empower us to change it? If
science can shape both the
world and man, it can perform
both its own function (world
shaping) and that of faith
(man shaping). The reply is,
this is all correct, but the
power of science is instrumen-
tal, that is, dependent upon
man's will and command. In
whatever area man wishes to
carry out something, he can
do it better with the tool of
science. Thus, science is
man's best aid in attaining the
objects he has chosen, in
traversing the roads he has
decided to follow.
But when man puts the
instrument to work, he
already has an object in view;
instruments are always
employed in pursuit of ob-
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
54
jects. Where has he found
these objects? Because man is
animal by nature and human
by acquisition, that is, be-
cause his human potentialities
must be gradually nurtured in
the light of faith, by nature he
moves toward his natural,
animal, individual, material,
self-interested objects and
employs his instruments
accordingly.
Therefore, man needs a
power not among his own
instruments and objects that
can impel man as an instru-
ment in its own direction.
Rather he needs a power that
can detonate him from within
and activate his hidden
potentialities. He needs a
power that can produce a
revolution in his heart and
give him a new direction.
This is not accomplished by
science, by discovery of the
laws governing nature and
man. It is born of the sanctifi-
cation and exaltation of
certain values in one's spirit,
which values in turn are born
of a range of elevated apti-
tudes in man, which result
further, from a particular
conception and way of
thinking about the universe
and man that one can acquire
neither in the laboratory nor
from syllogism and deduction.
History shows the conse-
quences of disjoining science
and faith. Where faith has
been, and science not,
individuals' humanitarian
efforts have produced no
great effect-at times, no good
effect. Sometimes they have
given rise to fanaticisms,
stagnations, and ruinous
conflicts. Human history is
filled with such events. Where
science has been, with the
place of faith left empty, as in
some contemporary societies,
all the power of science has
been expended on selfish-
ness, egoism, acquisitiveness,
ambition, exploitation, subju-
gation, deceit, and guile.
One can regard the past two
or three centuries as the age
of the worship of science and
the flight from faith. Many
thinkers came to believe that
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
55
science could solve all man's
problems, but experience has
proven the contrary. Today no
thinker would deny man's
need for some kind of faith-if
not religious faith, at least faith
in something beyond science.
Bertrand Russell, although he
had materialistic tendencies,
admits “Work of which the
motive is solely pecuniary
cannot have this value [of
bringing a man into fruitful
contact with the outer world],
but only work which embodies
some kind of devotion, wheth-
er to persons, to things, or
merely to a vision”.
Today materialists are driven
to claim they are materialists
in respect to philosophy but
idealists in respect to morals,
that is, they are materialists in
theory, but idealists in prac-
tice and aims. The question of
how it is possible to be a
materialist in theory and an
idealist in practice is for the
materialists themselves to
answer.
George Sarton describes the
inadequacy and incapacity of
science to humanize personal
relationships and man's
urgent need for the power of
faith: “Science has made
gigantic progress in certain
fields, but in others, e.g., in
politics, national and interna-
tional, we are still fooling
ourselves.” He admits that the
faith man needs is a religious
faith. He says this of man's
need for the triad of art,
religion, and science: “Art
reveals beauty; it is the joy of
life. Religion means love; it is
the music of life. Science
means truth and reason; it is
the conscience of mankind.
We need all of them - art and
religion as well as science.
Science is absolutely neces-
sary but it is never sufficient.”
�����
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) said:
If someone wants to know
what position he enjoys in the
eyes of God, he has only to
look at what place he gives to
God (in his heart and life).
�����
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
56
On Friday evening the group
met at Engineer Madani's
house. The session formally
began with the question
raised by Dr. Jalali.
Dr. Jalali: I have heard that
Imam Hasan 'Askari had no
son at all!
Mr. Hoshyar: There are
several methods to prove that
Imam Hasan 'Askari did have
a son:
(a) In numerous traditions
reported on the authority of
the Prophet (S) and the
Imams it is related that Hasan
b. 'Ali b. Muhammad 'Askari
will have a son who will return
to launch a universal reform
movement after a long
absence and will fill the earth
with justice and equity. This
matter has been related in
various forms in the tradi-
tions. If you recall, we have
mentioned a list of hadith-
reports in the previous
discussion in which it is
affirmed that the Mahdi will
be the ninth descendant of
Imam Husayn; that the Mahdi
will be the sixth descendant of
Imam Sadiq; that he will be
the fifth descendant of Imam
Kazim; the fourth descendant
of Imam Rida; the third
descendant of Imam Muham-
mad Taqi; and so on.
(b) In several traditions it is
related that the Mahdi will be
the son of Imam Hasan
'Askari (a.s.). For example,
Saqr b. Abi Dalf relates that
he heard from Imam 'Ali Naqi
who said:
The Imam following me is my
son Hasan. After Hasan his
son is the Qa'im who will fill
the earth with justice and
equity just as it is filled with
injustice and tyranny.
(c) In a number of hadith-
reports Imam Hasan 'Askari
has informed that the Qa'im
and the Mahdi will be his son
and that the house of the
Imam and the Prophet is
protected from falsehood and
Who Was the Imam after Hasan `Askari?
Excerpts from the book, “Al-Imam al-Mahdi, The Just Leader of Humanity”
By: Ayatollah Ibrahim Amini
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
57
error. The following is the
tradition related by Muham-
mad b. 'Uthman, the second
deputy of the twelfth Imam
during the Short Occultation,
who received it from his
father, the first deputy: I was
in presence of Imam Hasan
'Askari when someone asked
him regarding the hadith that
was related from his forefa-
thers, namely: "The earth will
never be void of the hujjat
(God's proof), and anyone
who dies without acknowledg-
ing the Imam of the Age dies
the death of ignorance."
The Imam responded: "Yes,
indeed the matter is as clear
and real as daylight."
The person went on to ask:
"Who is the hujjat and the
Imam after you?" He said:
"After me the hujjat and the
Imam will be my son Mu-
hammad. Anyone who dies
without acknowledging him
will die a death of ignorance.
Be aware that my son will go
into occultation. The people,
because of that, will experi-
ence confusion. Those who
are unfaithful will perish,
whereas those who fix the
time of his appearance will be
uttering falsehood. When the
period of his occultation
comes to an end he will
launch a revolution. I see the
white flags waving over his
head in Najaf."
All these traditions provide the
necessary evidence that there
was a son born to Imam
Hasan 'Askari (a).
Those Who Saw the Imam
of the Age When He Was
Small
Dr. Jalali: How can it be
possible that a person could
have a son and no one in the
world would know about him?
Moreover, how can it be so
that five years would pass and
he would remain unknown?
Did not Imam 'Askari live in
Samarra? Was not he visited
by anyone? Could one believe
the only report on the pres-
ence of the infant son of the
Imam coming from Abu 'Amr
'Uthman b. Sa'id?
Mr. Hoshyar: Although it was
clear from the very beginning
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
58
that, under the circumstances
which prevailed in Samarra
under the 'Abbasids, the birth
of Imam 'Askari's son would
be kept secret, there were
those trustworthy associates
and relatives who had seen
the child and had testified to
his presence.
Why Was the 12th Imam
Not Mentioned in the Will
of Imam Hasan 'Askari?
Engineer Madani: It is said
that in his last days when
Imam Hasan 'Askari was ill he
appointed his mother as the
executer of his will so that she
could manage his affairs after
his death. This matter was
officially approved by the
court. In this will there was no
mention of his son. Moreover,
his estate was divided be-
tween his mother and his
brother. Had he had a son
then he would have certainly
mentioned him in his last will
so that he would not be
deprived of his share of
inheritance.
Mr. Hoshyar: Imam Hasan
'Askari intentionally kept his
son's name off his last will so
that he would remain immune
from all the danger that could
come to him from the ruler of
the time. In fact, he was so
careful in this matter and was
so fearful about his son's birth
being uncovered that at times,
out of necessity, he would
employ precautionary dissimu-
lation in the matter of his son
with his close associates to
obscure the situation for them.
One of the companions of
Imam Hasan 'Askari by the
name of Ibrahim b. Idris
relates that the Imam sent
him a sheep with a message
that he should sacrifice it for
the latter's having performed
the ceremony of shaving off
his son's birth hair ('aqiqa),
and share the meat with his
family. Ibrahim carried out the
Imam's order. But when he
came to see him the Imam
said: "Our child has died."
However, once again he sent
Ibrahim two sheep with a
letter in which the Imam
instructed Ibrahim: In the
name of God, the Merciful,
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
59
the Compassionate. Sacrifice
these sheep for your master's
ceremony of 'aqiqa and eat
the meat with your family.
Ibrahim carried out the order.
But when he came to see the
Imam the latter did not
mention anything about it.
Imam Sadiq had also taken
similar precautions in his last
will. He had appointed five
persons as executors of his
will, including the 'Abbasid
caliph Mansur, Muhammad b.
Sulayman, the governor of
Madina, his two sons, 'Abd
Allah and Musa, and his wife
Hamida, Musa's mother. By
doing so he saved the life of
his son Musa from imminent
danger, because he knew that
if his Imamate and legateship
became known to the caliph,
Mansur would have tried to
get rid of his son. As a matter
of fact events did happen
exactly as Imam Sadiq had
thought, because the caliph
ordered that if the legatee of
the Imam Sadiq was a specific
person, then he should be
killed.
Why Did Others Not Know
about the Twelfth Imam's
Birth?
Dr. Fahimi: The custom is that
when a child is born to
anyone, then relatives,
neighbors, and friends come
to know about it. This is true
in the case of a person who is
well respected. As such no
one disputes the existence of
a child for that person. How
can one believe that the
people would have no infor-
mation about a son born to
Imam Hasan 'Askari in spite of
the respect that he held
among them and that they
would have doubts about that
and dispute with each other
about it?
Mr. Hoshyar: You are correct
that normally the situation is
exactly the way you have
described. However, Imam
Hasan 'Askari from the very
beginning had decided that he
would not divulge any infor-
mation about the birth of a
son to him. Rather, such a
decision was made when the
Prophet was alive and when
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
60
other Imams were faced with
a situation where secrecy
about the birth was among
the signs of the last Imam.
Thus we have a report which
says that Imam Zayn al-
'Abidin predicted that: "The
birth of our Qa'im will be
concealed from the people
and that will cause the people
to say that he is not born at
all, so that when he takes the
command no one's allegiance
will be on his neck."
In another tradition 'Abd Allah
b. 'Ata relates:
I said to Imam Baqir: "Your
followers in Iraq are numer-
ous. By God, no one in your
family has the status that you
have. Why don't you rise?"
The Imam said: "O 'Abd Allah,
you have allowed nonsensical
talk to enter your mind. By
God, I am not the promised
commander of the affairs." I
asked: "Then who is the
commander of the affairs?"
He said: "Look out for some-
one whose birth will be
concealed from the people.
He will be your commander."
Dr. Fahimi: Why did Imam
Hasan 'Askari conceal the
birth of his son from the
people so that they would fall
into doubt and perplexity and
would be led astray in the
matter of Imamate?
Mr. Hoshyar: As I have said
earlier, the story of the
promised Mahdi was wide-
spread among Muslims from
the very early days of Islam.
The traditions and the hadith-
reports about the subject that
were related by the Prophet
and the further confirmation
of these reports by the Imams
had circulated among the
people. The rulers of the time
were also well aware of these
hadith-reports which an-
nounced that the promised
Mahdi will be among the
descendants of Fatima and
Husayn. Moreover, these
traditions announced the
destruction of unjust govern-
ments by the Mahdi, who will
establish the rule of justice
and equity all over the world.
Consequently, they were in
fear of the birth and emer-
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
61
gence of the promised Mahdi
and were determined to rid
themselves of the danger of
the revolution of the Mahdi. It
was for this reason that the
homes of the family members
of the Prophet, that is, the
Hashimites, and more particu-
larly Imam Hasan 'Askari's
home, were under constant
surveillance and under the
watchful eyes of secret agents
of the 'Abbasid state.
Mu'tamid, the 'Abbasid caliph,
had assigned a number of
midwives to conduct espio-
nage missions in the Hash-
imite families to collect
information about pregnancies
and child births. When the
caliph got the news about
Imam Hasan 'Askari's illness,
he instructed his agents to
keep a constant watch over
the house of the Imam. When
he heard that the Imam had
died, he ordered a search of
the Imam's house to find the
whereabouts of his son. In
addition, he sent some of
these midwives to examine
the slave girls of the Imam to
determine if they were
pregnant. If a woman was
found pregnant she was
detained and imprisoned.
The midwives suspected one
of the women to be pregnant
and reported her to the
caliph. The caliph ordered her
to be confined to one of the
rooms and commissioned
Tahrir, his servant, to watch
over her. He did not set her
free until he was sure that she
did not carry the Imam's
child. He did not stop with the
household of Imam Hasan
'Askari. Rather, as soon as the
funeral was over he ordered
all the houses to be searched
and kept under watch.
Now you can appreciate that
Imam Hasan 'Askari, living
under those dangerous
circumstances, could not do
anything other than conceal
his son's birth from the people
so that he would remain
immune from their evil
designs.
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The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
62
Nasal allergy is state of
hypersensitivity of linning
mucosa (covering of inner
side) of the nose to any
inhaled allergen, makes it
inflamed and produces
different symptoms which may
include, itching inside the
nose, eyes and / or back of
the throat, nasal discharge
and/ or blockage, watery eyes,
sneezing and / or cough.
Allergen is a substance which
causes allergy, it may include
dust, animal dander, food
spices, plant pollens, toiletry
or make up products, fibers in
rugs or heavy curtains, fungi
inhabiting air conditioners etc.
Acidity or heart burn may
enhance the symptoms of
nasal allergy. Chemicals at
work places like flour at
bakery, chemicals at
labortaries, wood dust at
furniture industry etc may
lead to symptoms during
working days and patient is
usually fine during holidays.
Primary step in management
of allergy is avoidance of
exposure to allergen. It is
usually identified by the
patient itself. There are few
labortary tests as well to
confirm the identity of specific
allergen, but if someone is
allergen to multiple products
then it is usually difficult and
obviously expensive to
investigate it on lab level.
The primary step of
management of nasal allergy
is to avoid the exposure of
allergen. Doctors prescribe
medications to reduce the
symptomatology of allergy,
including antihistamine tablets
to reduce symptoms of itching
or sneezing, nasal sprays to
reduce hypersensitivity of
mucosal linning of nose or
improve blockage symptoms
etc.
Immunotherapy is tried in this
modern era as well. But it is
necessary that patient should
be allergic to only one or two
known substances and willing
to continue treatment for up
to 2 to 5 years.
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Allergy
By: Dr. Sana Hasnain Nanjiani
Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH The Message
63
Kids
Corner
Celebrating Eid Milad un Nabi (S.A.W.W.) &
Wiladat of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (A.S.)
Eid means festival and
Milad, which originates from
Wiladah in Arabic, is in
reference to the birth of
Prophet Muhammad (saww).
There are a lot of argu-
ments going on about cele-
brating Eid-e-Milad. Some
Muslims Scholars particular-
ly those of Wahhabi School
of Thought have condemn
this openly and have de-
clared it as Bid’ah meaning
innovation; whereas others,
who are in majority, and
popularly referred to as
Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaah
insist that there is nothing
wrong in celebrating this
great day. The Shias believe
and support the celebration
of Eid-e-Milad too.
It is proven in the Holy
Quran that celebration of
Milad of noble and God-
fearing personalities is a
praise-worthy act. Allah
(SWT) says: Certainly We
sent Moses with Our signs:
Bring your people out from
darkness into light and
remind them of Allah’s (holy)
days. There are indeed signs
in that for every patient and
grateful (servant). (14:5)
In this verse Allah (SWT)
orders Prophet Musa (as) to
remind his nation about the
days of Allah, the Almighty.
"The days of Allah" are
those days in which great
events took place or Allah;
the Almighty bestowed His
great favours and rewards
to His creatures.
The birthday of Prophet
Muhammad (saww) is also,
without any doubt, a day of
Allah, because Prophet
Muhammad (saww) emanci-
The Message Rabi-ul-Awwal 1439 AH
64
pated the whole world from
the darkness of ignorance
and brought them to the
light of guidance. Allah
certainly favoured the
faithful when He raised up
among them an apostle from
among themselves to recite
to them His signs and to
purify them, and to teach
them the Book and wisdom,
and earlier they had indeed
been in manifest error.
(3:164)
The Holy Prophet Muham-
mad (saww) celebrated his
own Milad by way of fasting.
When the Prophet of Allah
(saww) was asked about the
fast of Monday, he (saww)
said: "I took birth and the
Quran was revealed upon me
in this day." (Mishkat Sha-
rif, Page 179)
This narration proves that to
celebrate Milad al-Nabi is a
tradition of the Holy Prophet
(saww). Secondly it is an act
of Sunnah to worship (fast)
whilst celebrating Milad-un-
Nabi (saww).
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) the
Sixth Holy Imam of the
Shi'a Muslims has also the
same birth date as that of
our Holy Prophet (saww). He
was born on 17th Rabi al-
Awwal 83 A.H. in the holy
city of Madinah. In the
grand university founded by
Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (as) in
the holy city of Madinah the
Holy Imam (as) taught
various branches of sciences
and more than four thousand
students were attracted
towards him from far-off
places. Imam Jafar Sadiq
(as) is also considered as
"The Founder of the Imamia
School of Jurisprudence".
On the auspicious, happy and
joyous occasion of Eid Milad
un-Nabi (saww) and the
Birth Anniversary of Imam
Jafar Sadiq (sa) we extend
our happy and heartiest
greetings and felicitations
to Imam al-Hujjah (AJ) & to
all the Muslims in the world.
EID-E-MILAD MUBARAK.
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